Always Unknowing
by Oh Prairie Rose
Summary: Kate slowly realizes there is no sense in always running.
1. I

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Body of Proof or any of its characters. I would so buy them though. And make Kegan happen. Until then.. story time!

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She could feel her heartbeat synchronizing with the steady rhythm of the Prada pumps marching towards her office. Her cheeks turned a hotter shade of pink while her throat had seldom felt this dry. It took a lot of mental strength for the blonde to contain her composure as she watched the tiny yet fierce form approaching her. Now was the time to repeat her mental mantra over and over again for within seconds her nose would come into contact with that sweet perfume and then she would be trapped instantaneously in the honeyed fragrance of the gorgeous redhead, clouding her every thought.

"Did you sign those papers Ethan put on your desk last night?"

"_Morning_ Megan."

The blonde kept her icy blue eyes fixated on the other woman's face, raising an eyebrow in expectation.

"Good morning.. Ka- Dr. Murphy."

Megan impatiently balanced on her heels, not letting go of her boss' gaze until Kate eventually broke the eye contact, leaving the redhead with a sense of triumph.

"So.. did you sign them?"

Kate rolled her eyes and shook her head a little while reaching for the papers she had signed first thing that morning – anticipating a scene like this.

"Here you go Dr. Hunt."

Megan bend a little over her boss' desk flashing Kate a grateful smile before leaving the blonde's office, papers waving in her hands.

It wasn't until the sound of her heels had faded that Kate dared to look up again. She could feel her cheeks burning – and not only because she had been holding her breath for the last minute - but mainly because of what had been happening at her eye-level the second Megan had bended over her desk to accept the papers. Kate silently reprimanded herself for lusting over her colleague like this, but then again, she wasn't the one wearing an extremely low-cut orange dress that hugged her exceptional features in all the right places. Kate looked down at her own cream coloured dress with a rather chaste neckline and smiled to herself. She briefly wondered if Megan had ever scanned her body in the same way.. before reprimanding herself once more. The blonde continued mentally cursing herself for all the inappropriate thoughts that were spinning somewhere in the back of her mind when Tommy Sullivan peeped his head around her door:

"Morning Dr. Murphy – have you seen Megan?"

The second he had said her name, they both heard a sharp voice shouting from the morgue, indicating precisely where the object of his search was situated:

".. and where are my detectives?!"

Kate couldn't help but smile and roll her eyes at Tommy in compassion. As she watched his slightly slumped broad-shouldered form heading towards the morgue she thought about how she was finally starting to like the detective. The team hadn't been easy on him, considering his position as a replacement for the well-loved Peter, yet slowly but surely he was winning over their hearts. Kate knew she could always count on him and Adam to get the job done and what's more: he seemed to be one of the few people who dared to step up to Megan. The blonde couldn't ignore the sting of jealousy that made itself known whenever she considered Tommy and Megan. It was not a secret that the two had a past – as Tommy loved to faux-casually mention at least once every conversation – but the thought of Tommy dating Megan left Kate feeling miserable. She knew she had absolutely no right to feel this way – especially considering what had happened the last time she had tried to "deal" with those feelings. Rather than distancing herself from Todd Flemming, she had accepted his invitation for dinner – and his bed. It had been exciting to be with the man who had once warmed up Megan's heart but once she saw the effect it had upon the redhead, she had put an end to it before the idea of leaving Philadelphia – and her – had any chance of forming in Megan's stubborn yet proud mind. Angry Megan did turn her on more than she liked to admit, but the ice cold treatment she got day after day just wasn't worth it. Not to mention Todd, who in the end wasn't even worth a single glare. No, Tommy was different, he meant well. Kate just couldn't help but imagine someone more sophisticated when thinking about a romantic partner for Megan. Someone like her.

Of everything, that thought depressed her the most. She had been crushing on Megan since she started working for her and so far she had done nothing to make her feelings known to the redhead. Kate knew she would rather move to the other side of the world than to tell her how she truly felt about her. Admitting it to herself had been hard enough. Yet, a part of her felt as if by not letting Megan know she cared, she was missing out on all things beautiful. Who knows what might happen? Maybe Megan did feel the same. So far she hadn't dropped any hints but then again, Megan didn't do positive feelings all that well. Either way, it would always be fear of rejection that would hold the blonde back from her shot at happiness. So today, like every other day, Dr. Kate Murphy sat in her office – all elegance and beauty – working with determination on a case that had just presented itself, daydreaming about what could be but would probably never ever happen_.  
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_This is not the end, my dearies. More chapters will follow! Reviews are always appreciated =)_


	2. II

"Lunch?"

A soft tap on the door hadn't been enough to startle the blonde who seemed preoccupied with a certain case file. Narrowing her eyes a little, Megan tried to make out the name on the papers her boss was studying so intensely. Apart from the consideration that she might actually need a pair of glasses, the redhead didn't get much wiser.

"What are you reading?"

Kate looked up from her file in surprise.

"Megan..! I didn't hear you come in."

"I did knock.."

The blonde smiled softly, leaning back in her office chair in an attempt to loosen her sore shoulder muscles and hide the blush that was creeping up her cheeks again - because of Megan's sudden appearance. She stared at the ceiling for a while before addressing Megan, who by that time had seated herself sideways on the desk, curiously scanning the papers.

"The Jessica Haughton case.."

Before Kate could elaborate Megan interrupted her with an almost pedantic smirk.

"I thought we closed that case. Jessica died of heart failure. It was bound to happen some day. Such a sad affair that it had to happen so soon but.."

".. the body you found on your table this morning? That man was the assistant of Jessica's doctor. Since I don't believe in coincidence, I decided to read through her file again."

She definitely had Megan's attention now.

"What did you come up with?"

"Nothing so far.."

"Let me have a look!"

Megan leaned forward to reach for the papers, giving her boss a precious view for the second time that morning. Unaware of the effect her movement had on the blonde, Megan straightened her back and started browsing through the file, all the while remaining seated on the desk.

"Her blood levels were a bit off.. but I attributed that to the heavy medication.. It doesn't really strike me as suspicious, you? Kate?"

"Sorry."

Kate smiled apologetically. The fire threatened to return to her face again so she bended down, pretending to search something in her purse. Her abrupt action didn't go unnoticed by the redhead.

"Everything alright?"

"Yes, why wouldn't it be?"

Hoping she sounded more convincing than she felt, Kate looked up again, smiling sweetly, wallet in her hand.

"I am craving a latte macchiato. You want anything?"

"Well yes, I was wondering if you wanted to grab some lunch.. seems to me now that you need it."

Megan lifted herself of the desk, carefully straightening her dress along the way. Kate followed the redhead's hands brushing over her dazzling body, unintentionally biting her lower lip. _Those curves.. _

"You coming?"

_Almost._ Kate blinked a few times and returned to reality to follow Megan outside. They were about to step into the elevator when Megan noticed that her boss' hands were empty save for the wallet.

"Did you bring the file?"

"Oh! I.."

Kate quickly turned on her heel and headed back towards her office, feeling slightly disappointed with the prospects of a work lunch. Truth was that she didn't know Megan all that well, even though she had been working for her for a good five years now. Apart from her past with Todd and Tommy, as well as her strained relationship with Joan and her unending love for Lacey, Kate knew close to nothing about Megan. Determined to resolve some of the mystery surrounding Megan Hunt, Kate had detected a perfect opportunity in this spontaneous lunch date. She should have known that with Megan, things were always bound to revolve around a case.

File in hand, Kate made way for the elevator again where she found Megan impatiently waiting for her return. As the doors opened and they both stepped into the small room, Kate let her thoughts wander to what could happen if the elevator decided to stop working while they were still inside. A mischievous smile graced her fine features. Unfortunately, a stinging chime indicated that they had safely reached their destination and Kate promised herself that for the upcoming hours she would leave her thoughts as they were; she would get back to her little fantasy when she was in the secure surroundings of her apartment, where she wasn't being eyed suspiciously by the main character of her daydreams.

The two women stepped outside of the building, heading towards a calm little restaurant to have their lunch, discussing Jessica Haughton.

"I have seen a case like this before, where the death of a young girl could be attributed to natural causes, however.."

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_Short chapter, I know! I'll make it up with the third one!_


	3. III

The elevator doors opened to reveal a flaming redhead with thunderstorm written all over her face. Megan squinted her dusky green eyes like a tigress looking for a prey to devour. At that precise moment, Curtis and Ethan came into sight. The latter doing everything he possibly could to hide behind Curtis, knowing perfectly well he would make a good appetiser.

"Ethan!"

Curtis could feel Ethan shrivel up behind his back and he almost felt sorry for the young lad. So for the occassion he said nothing about his friend using him as a human shield.

"Can I help you Dr. Hunt?"

Simply ignoring Curtis' good intentions, Megan stepped closer to the duo, causing both men to take a few steps back.

"You know that I can see you.. Ethan?"

Her voice sounded almost venoumous but there was a hint of amusement as well, causing Ethan to peek from behind Curtis, pretending to be very interested in some plush on his friends' back.

"You really need to stop cuddling cats, Curtis. Your lab coat is covered in cat plush!"

"What the he – Ethan?!"

Mumbling that it was the last time he would help, Curtis turned around to walk away and leave his friend to the mercy of Megan Hunt. Ethan focused on a point somewhere behind Megan, addressing her with a trembling voice:

"Dr. Hunt! How can I be of your service?"

"Did you read the report on Jessica Haughton?"

Ethan pushed his glasses up his nose whilst trying to remember who Jessica was.

"The young woman with the heart disease?"

"Right! Jessica Haughton!"

"Dr. Murphy thinks her case might have something to do with our latest body, Dr. Rogers. So we are going to perform a second autopsy to check for similarties between the two and I'd like for you to perform some more tests."

"OK Dr. Hunt! Got it!"

Ethan was about to make way for the lab, however, since Megan was standing rather statuesque in front of him, he did not dare to move either. The redhead was studying the young man with a certain air of mysteriousness. Ethan could almost feel the sweat dripping from his forehead. One of his eyebrows started twitching and somehow his hands wouldn't stop fidgeting with his lab coat. Truth is he barely dared to breathe. When Megan leaned in closer, Ethan thought he was going to pass out, anticipating a string of remarks on his recent work. Instead, he heard her whisper:

"You know Ethan.. I always took you for a cat person.."

.. before she cocked her head a little and marched off on her signature Prada heels.

A minute later Kate came out of the elevator, holding a latte, to find a wide-eyed Ethan standing in the middle of the passage.

"Ethan!"

The boy didn't even blink.

"Ethan? Did you see Megan?"

Upon hearing Megan's name Ethan was sent back to reality, turning beet red when he realised his boss was standing in front of him.

"Dr. Murphy!"

He was met with a pair of blue eyes rolling in amused annoyance. Kate put her hand on his shoulder deciding to leave the young lab assistent be and look for Megan herself. On her way she passed Curtis who had witnessed his friend's encounter with both Megan and Kate from a distance. Curtis shook his head mumbling to himself:

"Those two are the reason that boy is never goin' to find a good woman. Fright! I'm tellin' you, fright!"

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The smell of Megan's perfume still lingered in the air so Kate figured she couldn't have gone that far; she was probably still in her office. The blonde was about to knock on her office door when she noticed through the glass wall that Megan was already having company. Tommy. Kate couldn't make out what they were saying but she saw from the agitated look on Megan's face, reverberating the disappointment on Tommy's, that the pair was discussing a personal matter. She gave herself a minute to replay the previous hour in her head, when she was on the other end of that expression.

They had gone to _La Parisienne_, a sweet little bistro close to the office that was famous for their daring French salads. Kate wanted to settle for a table in the sun when she saw Megan eyeing the sky with hesitation before resting her eyes on a quiet spot in the shadows. Being better at reading body language than her lunch partner, Kate gestured towards the table in the shadows, causing Megan to nod in approval.

"Let's not encourage my freckles too much.." Megan said as they were sitting down. "Two minutes of sun and they double for their dear life." Kate smiled, getting lost in a particular cute set of freckles around Megan's nose, before announcing: "Well, I think it's adorable.." For a second a somewhat strange look graced the redhead's features before she lightheartedly replied: "If you say so, Dr. Murphy!", reaching for the menu with a soft grin.

"Since I am lunching with the chief.. How about a glass of rosé?"

"You know we're not supposed to drink during the hours, Megan."

"Share one?"

Megan's pout made Kate's heart melt, which the blonde tried to mask by rolling her eyes, agreeing to each have a glass of pink yumminess. Kate ordered a cheese salad to go with it and Megan settled for the one with grilled turkey. While waiting for their food, Kate tried to force some smalltalk upon Megan who had seemed a bit lost in her thoughts the moment they had sat down.

"How's Lacey doing these days?" Kate loved the way Megan's face lit up whenever she talked about her daughter. Lacey was a loveable girl, a bit stubborn maybe but Kate didn't have to look all that far to see who she got that from. "She's trying her hand at baking now." Megan said with a chuckle, sipping her wine. "She had the whole kitchen covered in cookie dough last night.." The thought of Lacey splattering cookie batter all over Megan's crisp kitchen made Kate laugh. "I can't see why you're complaining!"

"Wait until you find your coffee machine covered in the stuff," Megan rested her elbows on the table, "it' can get really sticky!" Kate noticed how Megan's hands came to rest on her temples, as if she was about to rub them. "She's fourteen, Megan. At that age they have to leave you with a headache. I don't think my mother ever really recovered from my rebel years."

"I can imagine that, Dr. Murphy" Megan's frown made way for an amused expression. Kate shot right back at her: "I'm sure you were no angel either, Dr. Hunt", her big blue eyes flickering a little when she looked at the other woman. She noticed however that Megan's eyes seemed to turn a shade darker, once again trading her smile in for a worried frown. Megan slowly continued in an absent voice: "It's not Lacey.."

This time worry took over Kate's face as well: "Is there something wrong, Megan?" The redhead shook her head, but the frown remained, causing Kate to soften her voice: "You know you can talk to me, Megan. I'm here for you if you need me.." Megan looked up at her boss, seeing the concern in her eyes. "Really, it's nothing, Kate. Don't worry about it, I'll handle it."

Instinctively, Kate reached across the table, letting her fingertips brush against Megan's arm. "If I can help.." Kate briefly felt Megan's hand resting on hers, squeezing it a little before pulling away again. "Thank you, but I'm fine, it's.. it's Tommy, he.." Megan was interrupted by the waiter balancing their salads on his arm. The redhead looked at her plate with rather hungry eyes, while the simple mention of Tommy's name had caused Kate to loose all her appetite.

She let her fork wander around her veggies, waiting for Megan to continue but it seemed that the other woman had no such intentions. Megan grabbed the Haughton case file instead and sent a sudden smile Kate's way. "Can you handle discussing some gut and gore during lunch, Dr. Murphy?"

All other sentences spilled during their lunch break were all related to the Haughton case and even though Kate felt slightly disappointed that Megan hadn't expanded on her Tommy trouble, the blonde was glad to see some sort of happiness return to the other woman's features. Forever the workaholic, nothing could interest Megan more than solving the mystery of an unfortunate death.

They had just finished their meals when Megan's phone chirped. With a slightly annoyed expression, Megan answered in a cool voice: "Not now. We'll discuss this later, okay?" before hanging up on whoever was on the other end of the line. "Would you mind getting that coffee all by yourself? I have something to take care of before getting back to work.."

Kate was pretty sure she wore a perfect blend of curiositiy and disappointment on her face but she managed to utter: "I'm a big girl. Can I bring you anything?" By that time Megan's worried expression had developed into a sense of irritation, anger even. "No!" Adding in a softer, composed voice: "I'll ask Ethan to run some more tests!"

"Good, I'll join you in a few minutes. You sure you don't want that latte?"

"No thanks, you enjoy yours!"

Latte in her hand, Kate hurried back to the office building, wondering what urgent matters Megan had to discuss during the work hours. The pieces fell into place once she noticed Tommy standing in Megan's office. A wave of jealousy rushed back over her, and without giving Megan's privacy a second thought, Kate entered the office, interrupting whatever was going on between her two employees.

"Ready to get started on Jessica Haughton?" Tommy shot the blonde a death glare, but Megan seemed almost relieved to see their boss. She followed Kate to the morgue, ushering the detective out of her office along the way. Once Tommy was out of sight, Kate shot Megan an alarmed look: "You okay?" Megan came to a halt, turning around until she was facing her boss. Kate could feel her whole face turning red because of the proximity, desperately searching for more words in her head until Megan addressed her. "Kate, I'm fine, okay? Let it go, it's nothing."

Megan disappeared around the corner, leaving a slightly hurt and confused Kate standing all by herself.

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_R&R_


	4. IV

Kate carefully unwrapped Jessica Haughton's heart before putting it on the scale. "Nothing abnormal here.." Megan peered over Kate's shoulder to check the levels herself, agreeing with the blonde. A strand of red hair brushed Kate's neck, causing the ever so composed doctor to shiver to the subtle touch. "Let's take another look at her liver." This time it was Kate who went to stand behind Megan, looking at the dark coloured mass. "Seems perfectly fine to me as well.." Megan turned around to face Kate, frowning a little. "Maybe a little too fine.." Kate let her eyes follow the redhead when she walked over to the body of Dr. Rogers, examining the dead man's liver. Megan met her eyes when she looked up again, a questioning look on her face. "How old did you say he was?"

"37!" Unsure as to where Megan was heading, Kate decided to have a look for herself. The blonde watched intently how Megan's elegant fingers carefully parted the dark red matter. "Does this look like a liver of a man in his late thirties?" Kate tilted her head a little to the side: "It looks like a perfectly healthy liver to me. He must have been in good shape.. but I don't see why he wouldn't pull this off!" Without looking up, Megan gestured towards the body: "Look at his teeth.." Rolling her eyes, Kate did as she was told. The teeth that weren't immediately visible to the eye showed brown-yellow-ish stains, which had left Kate wondering how a doctor could take so little care of his dental health. She was about to ask Megan what was so exceptional about Dr. Rogers' poor dental hygiene when she noticed that his gum had swollen quite a bit since she last inspected his mouth. She instinctively held her nose above his mouth, realizing what Megan had meant. She faced Megan, who stared at her with a hint of arrogance gracing her features: "He was an alcoholic."

In her defence, Kate mumbled something about the toxicology reports not having reached her yet but the redhead wasn't after surpassing her boss. "All I want to know, is how a heavy drinker can have such a healthy looking liver.." Kate lifted her weight from one leg to another, completing Megan's thought ".. and how a young heart patient on a substantial medication routine can have such an unaffected liver." For a brief second their eyes met, mirroring each other's dedication to find out what was going on here. Kate was the first to avert her gaze, afraid of what else Megan might read in her eyes. For all she knew, her bright blue eyes were flashing little red hearts towards her colleague.

"I think I might have found something!" Ethan came running into the morgue, waving some reports above his head. Pretty soon, the three of them were going over the blood levels of both Jessica Haughton and Dr. Rogers. It led to only one conclusion: some kind of drug must have been forced upon them, renovating their liver yet causing major damage to their heart, which killed them eventually. Raising her eyebrows, Kate sighed: "Time to call Tommy!" Upon hearing the detective's name, Megan all but close rushed out of the morgue, claiming she had some urgent paperwork waiting for her. Kate prevented Megan from leaving, by gently placing her hand on the other woman's arm. "It's fine, Ethan and I got this." The redhead smiled at her, a subtle thank you gracing her lips.

For the rest of the day, the whole team worked hard as always, trying to find answers to the questions to the bodies in the morgue. At the end of the day, a rather weary looking Kate sat in her office, waiting to hear back from detective Sullivan. The others had gone home, with the promise of stepping their game up a little once a new morning had risen. Kate had even managed to send Megan home, who looked as if she could use a good night's rest - and some aspirin.. Her thoughts were interrupted by Tommy lightly tapping on her door.

"Detective Sullivan! Come in." Kate was instantly alerted by the worried look on the man's face. "Dr. Murphy. No good news I'm afraid." Concerned, Kate stood up from her office chair to stand in front of her desk, gently leaning on the wooden top. "We've found another body. We think it might be the same killer..", Tommy kept his eyes on Kate, ".. and Kate.." Two icy blue eyes found his. ".. could you call Megan? She won't answer the phone when I call her and we need her at the crime scene."

Kate's heart jumped a little when she heard him mention Megan's name, worry still apparent in his voice. She grabbed her phone off the desk and immediately dialed Megan's number. It didn't take long before she heard the other woman's voice on the other side of the line. "Kate?" The blonde let out a sigh in relief. "Megan? There's a new body. I'll let Tommy send you the gps coordinates and I'll meet you at the crime scene asap." Megan remained silent, causing Kate to repeat her name. "Megan?" "Fine, see you there." Kate couldn't help but muse that Megan's voice sounded a lot colder.

Having forgotten about Tommy standing in her office, Kate absent-mindedly reached for her purse and coat, all set to leave when the detective almost gave her a small heart attack. "You coming to the crime scene too, Dr. Murphy?" Kate couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that Tommy was looking right through her. She stopped in front of the detective, towering above him in her designer pumps. "Yes, detective Sullivan. I'm coming too." She had expected the man to at least flinch when faced with the chief but Tommy didn't even blink, throwing Kate off balance as she stammered: "I would like to see Meg - the body for myself".

One slip of the tongue was enough to make Kate storm out of the door, her cheeks a fiery shade of red. Tommy followed the blonde to the elevator, nodding his head. He knew the symptoms all too well; he had been there himself. It did surprise him that the fever had affected the gorgeous blonde, but then again, love doesn't discriminate. The detective sighed: "Poor Kate.." Madly - badly - head over heels in love with Megan Hunt.

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_R&R!_


	5. V

Haven't been able to write much informal lines these days. _Damn u, thesis._ Just a short update to keep you all going until September! Hopefully I'll be able to update more frequently then (:

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Kate parked her car in front of the bookstore that held their latest body. Adam and Tommy's car soon followed, causing the trio to step inside the store all at once. A young man was lying over his desk, blood staining his white shirt, a bullet wound gaping from his brow. Walking over to the corpse, Kate asked: "Do we have a reason to believe this guy has anything to do with our case?" Meanwhile Adam picked up the guy's wallet from the floor, which upon opening revealed a picture of a familiar face: Jessica Haughton. The young detective said with a smirk: "I think we do now!"

A curious expression gracing her face, Kate was about to walk over to Adam, but was beaten to it by Megan who had just entered the shop. "What have we got here?" Megan studied the wallet intently, before darting her eyes over to Kate and the dead body. "Cause of death?" Kate opened her mouth to give Megan an update when Tommy leered: "I guess that's pretty obvious, ain't it?" His comment was rewarded with a death glare from both women. "Serious trauma to the head, and several bullet wounds to the chest…" Kate turned on her heel to address Adam and Tommy "… I guess we better start looking for bullet holes!" On a mission to collect evidence, Tommy grabbed the wallet from a slightly confused Adam, bagging it up as the young guy whispered: "What's with all the tension in this room?" Tommy lowered down on his knees to search the ground: "Don't mention it.."

About thirty minutes later, the crew was about to wrap things up inside the bookstore. Kate contemplated going back to the morgue and performing the autopsy before midnight, as the prospect of a solitary evening in did not exactly appeal to the blonde. She waited for Adam to gather his things, before joining the other two outside. She had almost reached her car when she stopped dead in her tracks, overhearing Tommy talk to Megan: "How about I explain things over drinks tonight?" Kate carefully watched Megan get into her car, dismissing the detective: "No can do, I've already got plans!" The blonde could hear the venom drip from her words, but Tommy seemed reluctant to give in as he stood by Megan's car door: "Oh come on Megs, give me a break here!" The redhead didn't even bother answering him, foot on the gas, she let her car disappear into the night.

Kate watched as Tommy's fist hit his car in frustration. Adam turned to the chief, questions riddling all over his face, but Kate just shrugged her shoulders and got into her own car, heading towards the morgue. As she drove into the parking lot, she immediately noticed Megan's car. A little bolt of electricity shot through Kate's slightly worn out body, causing her to practically hop out of her car with renewed energy. The blonde walked passed Megan's car, when she noticed that there was still someone sitting in the driver's seat. Looking around, Kate motioned towards the dark vehicle, softly tapping the car window. "Megan?"

Clearly startled by the sudden appearance of her boss Megan wiped her eyes before opening the door to step out of her car and join the blonde. "Kate! What are you doing here?" Kate couldn't help but notice how Megan's voice sounded slightly broken, despite the redhead's effort to hide it. "The same as you, I guess." Kate stepped a little to the side to make room for Megan. The redhead watched over her shoulder as she took her Prada bag from the car. "Running away from your problems too, huh?" Kate smiled, lightly touching Megan's shoulder as they started moving towards the elevator. "Everything okay?" Kate felt like a broken record asking the same thing over and over again, but it was evident something was bothering her friend. "Have you been crying?" Kate stopped to get a closer look at Megan's face. Megan flashed her a cracked smile: "Did my mascara give up on me?"

"Megan.." Kate closed the distance between them, brushing a strand of red hair behind Megan's ear. The redhead shook her head, causing her hair to fall all loose over her shoulders again, her eyes fixated on the ground. Feeling slightly rejected, Kate took a step back, not really knowing what to say next. A few uncomfortable seconds passed as the two women stood in a dead silent parking lot. Megan was the first to break the awkward silence: "Can we just get out of here?" Kate frowned a little, before slowly nodding her head. "Sure! Where do you wanna go?" Megan looked up again, tilting her head to the side as her voice started to sound a lot more positive: "Well.. I've heard they serve great cocktails down the street.."

_La Métropole_ was crowded with people sipping bright-coloured drinks, laughing the night away. Kate managed to spot a little table behind a group of girls in their early twenties, whose order of tequila shots had just arrived. Megan's hand lingered on Kate's arm as the redhead was almost shouting at her: "This too loud for you?" Grabbing Megan's hand as they moved through the crowd, getting high on the aroma of peaches and vanilla, Kate shook her head: "No, it's fine!" The blonde could feel her whole body heating up from the smile that Megan flashed her way as they moved towards the table.

"This sure is more vibrant than the morgue _à la nuit_", Kate smiled as she sat down. Megan was already inspecting the drinks on the menu: "I think 'intimidating' is the word you're looking for.." The blonde laughed heartily, causing Megan to lean back in her seat looking more comfortable than Kate had seen her in days. "This is nice," Kate let out, ".. we should do this more often!" Placing the menu back on the table, Megan looked straight into Kate's eyes: "Looks like you've got yourself a date, doctor Murphy!"

Kate was grateful for the limited lighting the bar was sporting. Not only did it add to the pleasant atmosphere, it also helped hiding the hot pink blush that was creeping up her cheeks. _Great, not a drop of alcohol in my system and I'm already asking the girl out. What's next? _ "What are you smiling about?" Megan teased. Caught in the act, Kate was all set to make up a story when a handsome young man approached their table: "Evening ladies, what can I get you?" _Saved by the bar boy. _"I'll have a Tangerine Bourbon Margarita.. What about you, Kate?" "Whiskey Sour, please." The man gave Kate a wink before heading back towards the bar: "I'll be back in a minute with your drinks, ladies!"

"Yes please!" Megan grinned, staring at the waiter's retreating form. Kate rolled her eyes, "Seriously, Megan?" Megan leaned across the table: "Oh common Kate, we're allowed a little fun, don't you think?" Kate's eyes continued rolling as Megan went on: "Besides, you were the one that got the wink!" Kate shook her head: "Yeah, well, I'm not interested." Kate was getting slightly annoyed with Megan's behaviour. "Suit yourself," the redhead said with an amused expression as she sank back into her seat. It didn't take the guy five minutes to return to the table, their drinks in hand. "A Bourbon Margarita.. and Whiskey Sour for the lady" Kate accepted the drink with yet another eyeroll whilst Megan slipped him a few bills: "Thank you!" Kate shook her head: "Was he looking for an extra tip, or what?" Bringing her Margarita to her lips, Megan smirked: "I think that depends on the tip of what.."

Kate almost choked on her Whiskey. Letting out a playful sigh she addressed the redhead: "And here I thought I was having drinks with a proper adult!" Megan raised her glass in Kate's direction "I'll try to behave, doctor Murphy!" _Well, there's always room for interpretation, doctor Hunt._

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_R&R!_


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